Carly Findlay has a genetic condition called ichthyosis which causes her skin to be red, scaly and painful. It also affects her ears, eyes, digestive system, temperature, metabolism and hair.

She writes a blog detailing her experiences, and offering advice to other people with ichthyosis.

Recently, she discovered that someone had found a photo of her online and posted it in the r/WTF subreddit. The original post was horrible and mocking, but worse were some of the comments underneath:

"What does your vagina look like?"

"WTF is that? Looks like something that was partially digested by my dog."

"Seeing people like this smile makes me uncomfortable. It looks like a lie; they are only smiling in an attempt to fool themselves that their lives aren’t horrible. You can see it in her eyes. The same rehearsed dead-eye mouth-smile in all her pictures. Gives me the willies."

(Image: Carly Findlay)

Carly has explained that the photo was actually taken on one of the happiest days of her life.

Bravely, Carly decided to enter the Reddit thread and respond to her anonymous abusers.

This is the comment she posted:

"I knew the day would come that someone would create a Reddit thread about me, using my photo, having a laugh at my appearance.

"For years, that fear was why I didn’t share photos of me online. But now, after gaining confidence and support through years of blogging, I couldn’t care whether they call me a lobster or silly putty.

"The love I have around me and success I have had through telling my own story to break down stigma like these Reddit threads is stronger than any of those words.

"Yes I have Ichthyosis. Yes that picture is me. Don’t fear it and don’t criticise it. I am proud of the way I look, what I have achieved and for telling my story.

(Image: Carly Findlay)

"FYI: I have two forms of Ichthyosis – a mix of Netherton’s syndrome and erythroderma. My skin is shiny because I use paraffin. My body is less red than my face as it’s not exposed to the elements, but it is generally more painful. Ichthyosis is survivable – I have lived a very full life.

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"To everyone who has shown such kindness here – Thank You! The level of kindness shown in these situations is always greater than the level of hate. The awful comments within this thread are far worse than the original post.

"Thanks for linking to my blog too, so people are informed of the real me rather than through the speculation on this thread. For those who missed it, you can read more about me at carlyfindlay.blogspot.com."